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They Call Me George

The Untold Story of Black Train Porters and the Birth of Modern Canada

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They Call Me George

Written by: Cecil Foster
Narrated by: Dillon Taylor
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A CBC Books Must-Read Nonfiction Book for Black History Month

Nominated for the Toronto Book Award

Smartly dressed and smiling, Canada’s black train porters were a familiar sight to the average passenger - yet their minority status rendered them politically invisible, second-class in the social imagination that determined who was and who was not considered Canadian. Subjected to grueling shifts and unreasonable standards - a passenger missing his stop was a dismissible offense - the so-called Pullmen of the country’s rail lines were denied secure positions and prohibited from bringing their families to Canada, and it was their struggle against the racist Dominion that laid the groundwork for the multicultural nation we know today. Drawing on the experiences of these influential black Canadians, Cecil Foster’s They Call Me George demonstrates the power of individuals and minority groups in the fight for social justice and shows how a country can change for the better.

©2019 Cecil Foster, 2019 (P)2020 Audible, Inc. Americas Black Creators United States Social justice Equality Africa Latin America
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I now understand my grandfather's experiences in Canada, moving here in the 50s from the Caribbean. Ones he wouldn't talk about in the workplace. I also understand my Alberta history in a new light. There were systems that needed to be challenged so I could experience more opportunities in my native land. There are still many perceptions that must continue to be questioned and discredited. I won't take my life for granted, ever again.

A must read regarding Multiculturalism in Canada

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Excellent history about past restrictions in Canadian immigration and the role the sleeping car porters played in paving the way for a new generation of Black immigrants to Canada.

Strong history context

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This is an excellent CANADIAN history book that needs to be included in the high school curriculum. I am very eager to learn more of this history and want my children to learn this as well. I believe it is so important for educators to be looking to include such diverse historical accounts. I appreciate that Canadian immigration was critically discussed by Foster as I have one parent from the Caribbean and one from Europe. I know that my white European ancestors had an easier time immigrating to Canada with fewer restrictions. I learned that history on my own but I wish I would have learned this in my history class.

The performance was very good. But I would have liked if they would have casted a Black man to read the story of Black men and their difficulties to getting decent work, pay, and respect in Canada. I wonder if a Black narrator was not available. As a Black woman it was very obvious to me that the narrator, while excellent, did not sound like a Black man and for me this was a distraction when I was trying to listen to the story.

As a devil's advocate, I will say that our history is for more than just Black people. it should be history that ALL Canadians read. So in that regard, it is perhaps appropriate to have a great narrator of any colour first as opposed to a great Black narrator.

Great Listen: My Father was a Sleeping Car Porter!

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This book rights a bit of Canadian historical ignorance about some of its heroes.

A Fascinating look at honest Canadian History!

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I absolutely love and appreciate the history and all that this book offers. I love how Foster did not centre himself in the telling of these stories but rather allow the storytellers to tell their own stories.

The stories capture the nuances of anti-Black racism and how it played out in the lives and on the bodies of Black men. The dehumanizing experiences and the exploitative conditions that the men experienced and their consequences are made very clear in this book.

This book allows us to see how being Black rarely changes Black people's experiences but we see how being white, Jewish or Irish for example, changes people's experiences over time. Being white becomes acceptable while Black is Always unacceptable.

I appreciate seeing the activism and collaboration amongst different groups of immigrants that were stigmatized, stereotyped and systematically marginalized. This supports Bromley Armstrong's stories in his book.

Foster gives us a glimpse into the rationale for trade unions and government changing white supremacist anti-Black racist policies and practices. We can see that the changes came because of shifting transportation and economic needs and not because of equity.

The only thing I wonder about in this book is where are the women? Often when we write history, Black women are written out of them. In this book, Black women were not even given the space of a footnote.

So while Black women were not Porter's, where were they and what roles did they play to support the Black men who were doing the activism? It seems unlikely that they would not be activists as well. What experiences did they have during this time?

Some of today's activist could take some lessons from these historical figures with respect to working together and forging alliances with otters.

Thank you Cecil Foster.
Well done

Hiddeb Black History

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